Why you should come to Vegas

One of the key persons in Las Vegas' history, Steve Wynn once said, "Las Vegas is sort of like how God would do it if he had money." After being here for over four weeks now, I find it hard to disagree with his assessment of this place. If i were to pick five words off the top of my head to describe Vegas I'd go with exhilarating, delicious, sinful, sexy and amazing.

If someone were to ask me how was my trip to Vegas, I'd tell them that I wouldn't be able to do it justice and they should come here themselves to experience it for themselves.But I would also give them a list of reasons to go to Vegas and they are:

1.  Girls, girls, girls. Las Vegas is just filled with really good looking people (and some terrible looking ones too) everywhere you look. Nowadays with the Internet, you can find lots of pictures of beautiful people online, but nothing beats the real thing, in flesh and blood. Come during the summer when the sun is out, and drop by one of the pool parties that get thrown all the times in different hotels all over Vegas. I've not been to one yet (except the really nice pool in my hotel), but I've heard it's life changing.(hint: just Google "Las Vegas Pool Party")

 2. Great hotels at affordable prices. Besides beautiful people, the next thing that Vegas has in abundance is great hotels. The Venetian, Caesars Palace, Bellagio and Palazzo are just but a few of the really amazing hotels they have in Vegas. The service is top notch, the rooms are big and luxurious and the prices are always affordable because of the intense competition. I couldn't be happier with my room at the Palms Place, the bed is super comfy, i have a nice fridge and a kitchen to cook in, the view from the balcony is amazing and the jacuzzi in the bathroom is great after a long day at the WSOP.

3. Awesome food. Las Vegas is probably one of the top culinary destinations in the world, if you are looking for some great fine dining experiences. It is jam packed with restaurants that are fronted by some of the most famous chefs in the world, Wolfgang Puck, Joel Robuchon and Hubert Keller are a few that i recognized immediately. While we've been here, we've ate at a few nice places like the Little Buddha at the Palms, Yellowtail at the Bellagio, Nove at the Palms and I've enjoyed everyone of them. I have to confess though that the food at the Poker Kitchen at the WSOP is a disaster, avoid it unless you have no choice.

4. Poker. It's not just the WSOP that you can come for if you're a poker player. Poker games are running all around town all the time and you can find a game at pretty much any stake you desire (lowest is $1/$2) at any time of the day. If you're up for the challenge, I'm sure some of the high stakes games would offer up a challenge to even the best poker players. But if you're like me, who is a relative novice and don't have too much of a bankroll, the low stakes tables are a great place to earn some money while having a good time. The games as so soft at the lower limits, and the rake is also pretty affordable. Let me tell you about a hand i saw last night at the $2/$5 table (NL500). UTG limps, UTG+1 limps, MP3 raises, CO re-raises, BB calls, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP3 4-bet all in (~35BB), CO folds, BB calls, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls. Flop K 7 9, BB checks, UTG goes all-in, UTG+1 calls, BB goes all-in, UTG+1 calls. Turn and the river blanked everyone and UTG shows 79o to take the pot, BB shows JJ, the other two muck. I could only go, WTF???

5. Free drinks. One of the best things about the casinos in Vegas are that drinks are all free when you are playing. You of course have to pay the customary $1 tip to the waitresses, but you can pretty much order almost anything that you want (excluding the super premium label of course). Bourbon with coke, goose and cranberry, vodka Redbull, coffee, milkshakes, cocktails, wine, Perrier, a wide selection of local and international beer and the list goes on. Everything is on the house, as long as you're sitting down and playing at the tables.

6. Meeting new friends. The last great reason to come to Vegas for me is that you get to meet so many awesome people when you are here. I've had a great time hanging out with the PokerStrategists that I've met in Vegas so far, but it's not just them that I've got to meet. Vegas attracts people from all over the world, from all kinds of backgrounds and when you sit down at a poker table here with complete strangers, you never known who you'll meet. A doctor from Alaska, a banker from New York, a businessman from China, students on holiday from Norway are just some of them I've had the pleasure of playing poker with.

So after all this, would I consider moving to Vegas to live here? No. I love the ocean too much to live in a desert and I think Vegas is better taken in with small doses. Too much of a good thing is never good for you. But if I were to be offered a chance to come to Vegas for 2 months every year for the WSOP, that could be an offer that is too good to refuse.

For all of you reading this who've never been to Vegas, what are you waiting for? It's an experience everyone should have for at least one time in their life. Start planning your trip for WSOP 2011 now, if that's too long to wait, there still a few more weeks of WSOP 2010 to go too.

Hope to meet you in Vegas soon,

Edwin